Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease as a rare cause of benign lymphadenopathy and (18)F-FDG PET/CT findings

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is an uncommon benign and self-limited disease, characterized by cervical lymphadenopathy. This disease is generally diagnosed on the basis of an excisional biopsy of affected lymph nodes. However, clinical presentation and histopathological findings of KFD could lead to a wrong initial diagnosis, of tuberculosis, systemic lupus erythymatosus or malignant lymphoma. Laboratory tests are not specific. Imaging modalitites give confusing results. Affected lymph nodes of patients with KFD can exibit (18)F-FDG uptake on PET/CT imaging similar to malignant lymphoma. Therefore, the differential diagnosis of KFD should be considered in patients with cervical and/or generalized lymphadenopathy. Accurate diagnosis of KFD by histology is essential in avoiding unnecessary emotional and mental distress associated with the diagnosis of lymphoma.